


Movie night.

by duneytunes



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Aira and Hiiro are here briefly, Angst, Comfort, M/M, Pain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:47:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24368320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/duneytunes/pseuds/duneytunes
Summary: Mayoi has never seen Tatsumi cry. He uses their little unit group bonding session as an opportunity to do so.
Relationships: Ayase Mayoi/Kazehaya Tatsumi
Comments: 9
Kudos: 86





	Movie night.

**Author's Note:**

> Not beta read as usual bc I am Too lazy :(  
> I needed this out of my system thank you! My curiouscat is maplepiano in case you wanna drop tatsumayo stuff on my head like an anvil.

It was a fact that Mayoi has never seen Tatsumi cry, not even once.

Not of happiness, nor of sadness. He had just never seen the man shed a tear. Not that he was complaining, of course. To him, it seemed like he’d done enough crying to make up for the both of them. But it would be a lie if he said he wasn’t looking forward to it whenever they would watch movies as a group together and the movie was known to be a tearjerker. They took turns, choosing which movie to pick. Aira chose those with happy endings, Hiiro picked based on the movie poster, and Tatsumi… Well, he wasn’t so picky. In other words, besides a tendency to lean away from the more supernatural genres, he didn’t have a particular genre he was fond of.

_ I don’t watch movies much, and I’m not up to date with what genres would be enjoyable. _

...Something like that.

And so his turn was often given to someone else as a bonus, and he didn’t mind at all. Tonight, Tatsumi’s turn had turned into Mayoi’s pick.

“This one,” he picks up a disc case “I think you’d like this one, Tatsumi-san.”

“Oh?” He smiles, and he studies the serenity of the cover. “What’s it about?”

“It’s about…” He trails off, eyes wandering. It was one of  _ those  _ movies that tugged at the heartstrings. It ended on a sweet note, yes, but the happy end seemed to be a reward for putting the viewer through the wringer with emotions. “...Well, maybe it’s best if you found out?”

“That’s true.” Tatsumi laughs a little. “I trust you. Then, let’s go meet with the two and watch it together.”

Tatsumi trusts him, without question, when Mayoi can’t even trust himself. He presses his fingertips together and he nods with a happy “Yes!”

Tonight was the night, Mayoi thought to himself.

_ I want to see Tatsumi-san cry… What kind of face would he make? _

_ - _

_ - _

_ - _

_ - _

“W-wahh…! Tattsun-senpai, that was a good pick!” Aira was fully in tears. He was for about half the movie. In contrast to him, Hiiro’s eyes were dry, and he was puzzled more than anything, clearly having failed to grasp the emotional punch of the film. He’d taken the box of tissues, but it was for Aira’s use rather than his own. “It was a pretty movie,” Hiiro said “but I didn’t know dogs could talk.”

“That wasn’t the point of it, Hiiro-kun!” Aira’s voice cracks a little as he frantically wipes his eyes, all puffy and red from crying. He starts babbling on about the movie to Hiiro, a fruitless attempt at trying to get him to understand, and it’s evident with the way the redhead just nods and goes “Oh, I still don’t really get it.” at the end of Aira’s ranting. And with that, Aira gives up, and opts to hug his pillow instead to get over his mild frustration.

Mayoi himself had shed tears, but having watched it before, it wasn’t as severe as Aira’s. A single tissue had sufficed… And besides, his attention was more or less elsewhere for a majority of the film, watching  _ someone _ else entirely. Tatsumi had sat himself beside him, and so Mayoi enjoyed the view, witnessing his reactions to each scene. In particular, his eyes would art from screen to Tatsumi’s face whenever he  _ knew  _ that a hard-hitting scene was about to come.

...And yet, until the end, Tatsumi did not cry.

It scared Mayoi, almost. He thought Tatsumi would have cried for sure, or was he like Hiiro who didn’t understand the concept of the film? Did Mayoi choose wrong? He felt disappointed with himself, as if he’d just missed an opportunity.

“That was a really good movie, Mayoi-san.” Tatsumi had turned towards him, and Mayoi jumps a little. He wasn’t expecting that. 

“O-oh, did you enjoy it?”

“I did… It was sad, but the ending was happy. I was relieved when the dog finally reunited with his owner.”

Ah, so he did understand it. Mayoi swallows with guilt, maybe it was wrong of him to test Tatsumi. Maybe he found it difficult to empathise with a dog… Maybe one with a human protagonist would be better next time, he thinks to himself, keeping a mental note for his turn.

With all said and done, the four prepare for bedtime. Aira is the first one to go, followed by Hiiro, and soon Mayoi found himself staring up at the wooden ceiling of his bed. Though, it’d be the bottom of Tatsumi’s. 

Tatsumi, Tatsumi… He shivers a little, remembering how he hadn’t shed a tear during the movie. His brows crease together, and he wonders if he’s thinking too much about it.  _ It’s Tatsumi-san… Just because he didn’t cry over that, doesn’t mean he’s emotionless.  _ He tries to bargain, thinking,  _ maybe he was trying to be strong? Oh Tatsumi-san, please let go of yourself. Please cry, even once. It won’t sully your image, I promise-- _

Thud.

Mayoi nearly jumps out of bed as he hears it. His heart beats wildly in his chest, and he feels like an animal on high alert.

He reaches for his phone and stares at the clock. 

2 AM.

Ah… So he’s been awake that long? Truly, once his thoughts started to fester, they wouldn’t stop. But besides that, he’s still on alert, having heard the muffled sound. He hears faint steps, followed by the door opening, and shortly after it closes shut.

He allows his heart to settle before peeking out of the curtains. Aira seemed undisturbed, as was Hiiro. Then maybe…   
  
He pokes his head out, and he quietly steps out. He looks upwards…

Tatsumi is gone.

He feels his heart sink to his chest as thousands of scenarios, both unlikely and downright impossible start whirring through his head. He feels panicked, but a part of him  _ knows  _ that it probably wasn’t too serious. Maybe Tatsumi just went to the toilet. Maybe he just went to grab some water. He’s alright. He’s okay.

...And yet, he finds himself already stepping outside of their room anyway, blending in with the shadows of the night. He traverses through the dim hallways, and the loudest thing about him was the way his heart was pounding. He heads to the bathroom first to confirm the best-case scenario, and to his joy, the lights were indeed on. He feels his heart settle, and he shuts his eyes, a quiet sigh of relief escaping him. 

Well then, his job here was done. Anxieties eased. He should head back to…

“...A-ah…”

He freezes in place, hearing Tatsumi’s  _ sweet  _ voice utter out a whimper. 

Mayoi’s eyes stare back at the door, curiosity piqued.  _ That was from there, wasn’t it? That was Tatsumi-san. That was unmistakably him. _

And so with light steps, he sneaks his way closer to the bathroom door. He presses an ear against the door and swallows, listening in for  _ anything. _

He hears the faucet running though muffled, and it makes it harder for him to hear Tatsumi’s voice.

Quivering.

Pained.

He feels his heart sink to his stomach. He can tell he was trying so hard to keep quiet.

Maybe this once, he can be forgiven if it’s out of concern, if it’s out of worry. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself anyway if he’d just ignored the fact after being faced with it. He was an insect with an existence beneath the importance of that of pests, but he can stand to push those thoughts away temporarily to attend to him.

With a turn of the handle, he slowly turns the door, opening a crack, and he peeks inside.

And there he was, on the floor in front of the sink, clutching his leg, his hair disheveled, and his head lowered. He can see his shoulders quivering.

His leg must be acting up again.

Mayoi opens the door enough to let himself in this time.

“Tatsumi-san?”

He calls, voice shaky with both worry and uncertainty, not sure if he should be here. He scans the sink, and he catches sight of a paper bag, and a blister pack.

“M… Mayoi-san,”

Mayoi wonders why he’d jump, when he was the one who barged in without so much as a knock. 

“I-I’m sorry! I… I-I heard a sound, you weren’t in bed, I got worried, so I…!” 

“Mayoi-san.” 

Mayoi tenses up, and he looks down now to look at Tatsum, and he feels his blood turn cold.

His cheeks were stained with tears, and his eyes were red and still wet. 

“It’s okay… Thank you for worrying about me.”

So he says, and yet Mayoi couldn’t feel the same warmth his words usually held. Instead, every word held pain and misery about his situation. This sight before him was worse, much sadder than all the tragedies he’s seen. He walks closer, settling beside him, and he’s unsure of where to place his hand. 

“Tatsumi-san, your leg…”

“I-I’ve taken my medicine, it will be fine, soon. Just--” He winces as he shifts even just a little, and Mayoi’s breath hitches. “--I-I just need to wait.”

“I… I see.” Mayoi nods quietly. “Is there a way I can help?” He asks, but all there is is silence in return. In a bit of a daze, it truly seemed like the roles were reversed at this very moment, but Mayoi knows he can’t just sit and wait for Tatsumi to say something. For now, he needs to be what Tatsumi has been for him. He stands up to turn the faucet off, and from his pocket he takes out his handkerchief. The vague scent of grape fills Tatsumi’s senses as Mayoi wipes his face with it, his hands so gentle and careful, as if the slightest bit of force can cause Tatsumi to shatter like ice. 

“I’ll,” Mayoi takes one of his hands, and he places the handkerchief in his palm, having his fingers curl over it “I’ll get you a hot compress, it should help.”

It was then Mayoi had an exceedingly rare moment of gratitude for himself, specifically that he’s experienced enough muscle related injuries during practice to know what could help. 

But just before he could get up and leave, he feels something latch on to his wrist, the grip somewhat tight, but not to the point of hurting him. It was secure, begging him to stay.

He looks back, and he sees it in Tatsumi’s eyes.

_ Please, stay. _

Any other time, he would pass it off as a delusion of his. But this time… This time, he knows it to be true, and he feels disgusted at himself with the way his heart soars with happiness. And so, he settles back down to Tatsumi’s side, and he watches as his hand moves from his wrist to his hand. Their fingers lock together, and he feels a weight against his shoulder, along with the warmth that comes with it.

They sit there in silence together, with the only movement being Mayoi’s thumb idly rubbing over Tatsumi’s hand. Normally, the peace would make him drowsy, but he stays wide awake all in thanks to the ceaseless pounding of his heart. 

“Does it still hurt?” Mayoi asks after a while.

“Mm.” Tatsumi’s answers. “I’m sorry, for making you stay back.”

“N-no, it’s fine, I…” His hold on Tatsumi’s hand tightens a little, giving him a little squeeze of reassurance. He feels his heart skip a beat when he feels the other do the same. “I want to stay… I want to make sure you’re okay.”

_ I don’t want to see you cry like this anymore. _

He keeps the thought to himself, offering it no voice.

“...Let’s watch a happy movie next time, Mayoi-san.”

“Of course… I’ll look for one for you.”

**Author's Note:**

> My s/o was like 'It's only a matter of time until you write angst' and I said 'I can't handle that'  
> and it's true  
> Idk how to make these two suffer horribly help


End file.
